This commemorative month acts as a gauge of the political moment, so in what ways can we modernize it?
It's Black History Month in the United Kingdom, and it feels like it’s time for a rethink. Throughout its history, an observance that started out as a commemorative event of heritage, traditions and links between Black populations worldwide, has taken on a commercial tone, broadening to incorporate events where Black people are remunerated to address white audiences about hidden biases and supportive partnership. The demonstrations for racial justice in the 2020s sparked an increase in the business of displaying cultural sensitivity. Yet, that phase is now over. The surge has crested, resulting in a somewhat empty inheritance of what raising awareness is for.
The History of Black History Month
Originally observed in the United States and Canada, Black History Month was created in 1962 as a week dedicated to Negro history by historian of African descent Carter G. Woodson with multiple days of celebration and reflection in the February's second week. Black History Month grew out of this initiative and was officially launched in 1970. Now it is celebrated not only in the United States and Canada in the second month, but also in October in the United Kingdom, Deutschland, Ireland and the Holland.
The observance has developed since that time, placing less emphasis on the narratives of the slave trade across the Atlantic and fights for racial justice, and increasingly on notable African descendants in politics, culture, and activism, and widely honoring the input Black people have made to influence the nation. It is in educational institutions where Black History Month is most frequently marked, with discussions and heritage festivities. But the manner the celebration is observed is a reflection of the political moment. How it develops is a instructive case in how appropriation leads to dismantling: the transformation of Black History Month has impeded the purpose of it, which is to confront systemic and institutional racism.
A Disconcerting Period
Little demonstrates how important it is to reconsider Black History Month better than the specific period in which it occurs this year. In the United Kingdom, a revitalized conservative movement in the shape of the Reform political group is ahead in surveys. In the warmer months we saw the biggest extreme right demonstration in the UK's past. the Conservative leader, the Black leader of the right-wing political group, is a staunch adversary of the racial justice movement, and we are in a place where a legislator gains confidence to state that “not seeing any white faces” in parts of a city is a source of worry. Meanwhile, far-right parties are surging in the European continent as a whole.
In the US, a massive attack against diversity initiatives and positive discrimination has been carried, frequently with success, to the supreme judicial bodies of the nation. A effort to erase the history of people of color and legacy from the archives is in progress. One of the political figure's early administrative commands aimed at the institution dedicated to Black heritage, and the Smithsonian Institution, claiming they of a coordinated and broad attempt to rewrite our Nation’s history” by representing the nation “as fundamentally prejudiced”.
In this context, the observance symbolises how insufficiently it can be impactful if it is limited to either routine organizational acknowledgments, or politically neutered festivities of historical achievements, rather than addressing the situation of the present. It also shows how its short period means that it is disconnected from the broader ongoing work that is necessary. An academic expert, a prof at University of Greenwich, articulated it most accurately when she raised concerns about the fleeting superficial actions of the celebration. “The issue with taking a tokenistic approach”, she stated, “is that it often means that Black History Month evolves into a brief show rather than a driver of transformation.”
Reevaluating, Not Abandoning
Establishing how to adjust, modify and expand initiatives for fair treatment and appreciation in such periods of dismay and anxiety is a challenging endeavor. There is a temptation to just discontinue events including Black History Month completely, believing they are simply not fit for purpose, or are remnants of an period that has not worked.
However, regardless of the situation, Black History Month, and in fact the entire extended network and legacy of activism for racial justice – community-based BLM initiatives, inclusion and equity efforts, and indeed, including corporate presentations – form an foundation that a lot of work has been dedicated to. It is there not just to decay as the politics moves on (and in fact, regresses), but to be a vital organism.
So what would a contemporary active Black History Month look like? To begin with, it would be extended beyond a brief observance: something that is dispersed across all seasons (as some institutions are already starting to implement), sections of its curriculum (particularly around notable African descendants) integrated into school curriculums. It would also be a period that does not shy away from governmental matters, and allows opportunity for individuals, particularly the younger generation, to share their anxieties and narratives. What use is simple recognition of the bygone era when it fails to address the current situation of extreme conservative demonstrations in the street? Organizations who observe it should not be comforted with the passive language of “unconscious bias” and sensitivity to “microaggressions”, but challenged by the risks that impact society if opposition to discrimination is not taken seriously. In short, Black History Month should be made up-to-date, urgent, and adaptive. It could be that an complete renaming is in order – Black History is Now Month.
